Cebiche consists of uncooked fish and vegetables that are marinated for hours in lime or other citrus juice.
The citrus juice lowers the pH to the range of 5 to 6. While this pH may be toxic to a labile micro-organism it is only bacteriostatic for most enteric pathogens. A pH toxic to bacteria (< 4) is also corrosive to humans.
Organisms that can be spread in cebiche include:
(1) Salmonella
(2) Escherichia coli
(3) Vibrio species
The risk of serious infection can be reduced (but not eliminated) by:
(1) avoiding cebiche sold by questionable sources (street vendors, food stalls, etc)
(2) using seafood collected from areas not contaminated by sewage
(3) proper handling and preparing of seafood
(4) using clean water
(5) carefully cleaning vegetables
(6) proper storing of the soup once prepared
Culturing of the soup may be the only way to know if it is truly safe.
Cebiche should be avoided by anyone at risk for a life-threatening infection (immunosuppression, cirrhosis, old age, pregnancy, etc).
